Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) – George Lucas

  Remember, right back before the Phantom Menace came out, when anticipation was reaching a fever pitch? I miss that. Sure we had the wonderful build up to The Force Awakens, but the gap between films was no where near as long as it had been for those of us who had been invested in…

Super 8 (2011) – J.J. Abrams

  Spielberg takes on the Executive Producer role in J.J. Abrams 80s-filled nostalgia thrill ride which is the next stop on the journey through the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Having Stranger Things to compare it to isn’t necessarily fair, they get to tell their story over a season, Abrams and company only had a two hour…

Minority Report (2002) – Steven Spielberg

  Tom Cruise takes center stage in the next Sci-Fi Chronicles film as I continue reviewing Spielberg science fiction titles that I haven’t covered for the blog yet. Based loosely on the short story by Philip K. Dick, the film follows John Anderton (Cruise) the chief of the Pre-Crime Unit in the year 2054. Using…

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) – Steven Spielberg

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles brings me another Spielberg film to cover that I previously hadn’t for the blog. A.I. This one proved to be a very divisive film for a lot of viewers, originally planned to be a Stanley Kubrick film a lot of film fans believe that Spielberg over-sentimentalizes it and makes it a…

Deep Impact (1998) – Mimi Leder

Releasing the same year as Michael Bay’s big budget, small story, extravaganza, Armageddon, Deep Impact got a little lost in the rubble. But with Steven Spielberg’s name attached to it as executive producer, it’s my next stop on the Sci-Fi Chronicles. Eschewing the flash-bang, style over substance, popcorn nature of Bay’s film, Deep Impact, ably…

*batteries not included (1987) – Matthew Robbins

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles book brings me to the next stop on my continued exploration of the genre, and this time around I’m checking in with Steven Spielberg. I’ve covered some of his other films prior to this, and it also gives a few he served as executive producer on, including this film from ’87…

Runaway (1984) – Michael Crichton

  My time with the Sci-Fi Chronicles book continues as I dive into Michael Crichton’s other science fiction film from the 80s, Runaway, starring Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes, and Gene Simmons. Selleck is Jack Ramsay, a cop that specializes in robots. With his partner, Thompson (Rhodes) at his side, he finds himself pulled into a…

Looker (1981) – Michael Crichton

  I love when a movie I’ve never heard of at all comes along on the lists I am working through, and as I dove into the Sci-Fi Chronicles book today, I learned Michael Crichton’s films were next on the list. He only wrote and directed a few and this one is one of them,…

A Boy and His Dog (1975) – L.Q. Jones

  Harlan Ellison’s classic novella comes to life in this adaptation that is my next stop on the Sci-Fi Chronicles book. Vic (a very young Don Johnson) is wandering the post-apocalyptic world, accompanied by his dog, Blood (voiced by Tim McIntire), with whom he can communicate telepathically. Together they navigate the barbarity, the cruelty and…

The Iron Giant (1999) – Brad Bird

  The Sci-Fi Chronicles now brings me Brad Bird’s now classic animated tale of a young boy, Hogarth Hughes (Eli Marienthal) who meets a robot (Vin Diesel) from outer space, and the government agent, Kent Mansley (Christopher McDonald) who is trying to capture them. Set in the late 50s, the film gives adult viewers an…